Electric garage doors are a true blessing when they work but a real annoyance when they do not.
In order to keep your garage door operating smoothly you should employ a system of regular maintenance such as re-lubricating moving parts and wiping the tracks clean of any residual dirt.
Unfortunately, even with the best employed system of regular maintenance, garage doors do break down on occasion.
Therefore, if despite your best efforts your garage door is acting up, you may want to try these troubleshooting tips before calling in a repair person.
Troubleshooting Steps
1. Check the power source. It may be that electricity is no longer getting to the garage door’s electrical components. If the problem is anything more than a plug that has come loose from the socket you may want to go ahead and call that repair person. If all appears to be well with the flow of electricity to the garage door proceed to the next step.
2. Pull the emergency release chain. If doing so does not open the door you should move onto the next step.
3. Check for any obstructions in the door tracks. Small pebbles, globs of paint or hard packed dirt balls may be keeping the door from moving properly. If that is the case, remove the obstruction. If the door still doesn’t move continue on to the next step.
4. Check for any damage to the door itself. Perhaps your significant other or your teenager accidently hit the door with a bicycle or something else. If you notice damage to the door fix it and see if it alleviates the problem. If it does correct the problem continue to the next step.
5. Let the motor of the opener cool for 15 minutes. It could be that the opener has over heated or is over loaded. If letting it cool doesn’t rectify the problem you will need to look ahead to the next step.
6. Press the auxiliary push button control. If the door still doesn’t work, a faulty push button controller could be to blame.
If the door does work when you press the auxiliary push button control but not when you use the transmitter your transmitter batteries may need to be replaced.
If replacing the transmitter batteries doesn’t solve the problem move on to the code box. If doing all of that still has not resolved the issue look to the next step for possible relief.
7. Sometimes if a neighbor is inadvertently using the same garage door security code as you it will cause your garage door to cease functioning properly. To ascertain if this is the problem try changing your security code. If changing the security code doesn’t work move on to the header and or door bracket.
8. Over time the header and or door bracket can work their way loose and cause the door to bind. Inspect and correct any alignment issues and make sure that the header and or door bracket is remains securely fastened in place. If the problem is not caused by the header or door bracket, move on to examining the transmitter and drive unit.
9. If the transmitter activates the drive unit but the garage door still does not move you will want to examine the drive belt.
10. If you notice any unnecessary play in the belt that connects the pulley to the motor you will need to tighten the belt. It is imperative to note that over tightening the belt can also cause problems to go slowly. If adjusting or replacing the drive belt has not satisfied the problem it may be the garage door’s sensitivity control.
11. If the garage door reverses while it’s moving up or down, it may be that the safety sensitivity control needs to be adjusted. This is also the case if the door won’t reserve at all. Try adjusting the safety sensitivity control and if that still doesn’t resolve things move on to examining the height adjustment screws.
12. If the garage door partially opens or closes it may be that height adjustment screws that need your attention. Try adjusting the screws and then try operating the door again to see if adjusting the screws caused any improvements in the situation. If it did not you may have no other choice but to call in the professionals.
Additional Information
If after completing the troubleshooting tasks listed above your garage door still isn’t working property you will want to contact the door’s manufacturer as well as a licensed local repair specialist for assistance.
